Silent Partner
by Random Guise
Summary: Jack Halford had retired, but that didn't mean he didn't have police work on his mind, and one case in particular. But now he's lost one of his best tools for solving problems. Or has he? I don't own these characters, and the only thing I've retired is a pint of ice cream.


**A/N: Takes place shortly before the first episode.**

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Silent Partner

John Halford, "Jack" to almost everyone, sat at his small kitchen table for two and thought about almost anything except what was the most pressing matter before him. He felt tired and old, older than he ever felt before and more than his years would indicate. Normally, he'd talk out his problem to his wife Mary across the table; using her as a sounding board, he'd work through a problem or current case until either the answer became obvious, or at least the best approach announced itself. Mary rarely said much; her interest was in her husband, not the specific details of what he was working on. How many times had he lectured or gone over all the minutiae of a case, only to have her point out one little thing that flipped on the light in his mind and illuminated the thing that had been there the whole time? She was the best when it came to that.

And that was the problem; he didn't have Mary any more.

Mary had died; killed by a deplorable man by the name of Ricky Hanson, who got away with it like he got away with so many other things that no one ever seemed to be able to pin on him. It may have been true that Mary already was in the early stages of a fatal disease, but the man took away whatever time she had left. Hanson would pay sometime, even if it was the last thing Jack saw to.

But in the meantime, there was the big question of what to do now. Jack still had some contacts in the police force, but he couldn't see himself as some type of private investigator keeping himself busy for the rest of his life. As he sat thinking about what to do, he imagined his wife asking "What would you do if I was still here?"

He turned and looked into the main room. He could just imagine Mary standing there, by the fireplace, wearing that pink dress when they first met and she was still Mary Cooper.

"Talking to you like I always did. Why are you touching your urn on the mantle there? Come over here and sit like we used to do" Jack asked.

The memory of Mary shook her head. "Let me guess... you're there because I put you up here. You're in my mind, but my mind thinks of you in that...pot...so _that_ is where you are. I could put you on the kitchen table" Jack suggested.

The vision of Mary had a horrified look. "No, I suppose that wouldn't be right; maybe a little creepy too" Jack agreed. "Well, someplace else then. I'll find a place where you'd like to be and maybe we'll talk again." The image vanished when he blinked.

For several days Jack was busy, planning and moving things about and tracking dirt onto the kitchen floor. Finally, newspaper in hand he walked out into the back yard one evening after the sun had set and lit a few candles in the grass, their holders placed around a small patch where the sod had been freshly replaced. He sat on a wooden bench and addressed the spot.

"Well Mary? You always did like gardening, so this will be our little spot. And if anyone comes over to the house I won't look like a crackpot talking to the fireplace." He imagined Mary sitting on the grass, rubbing it with her hand. Her image drew a deep breath as she smelled the grass, shrubs and flowers; a smile crossed her lips. She looked at the bench and an eyebrow went up.

"No, I didn't build it or even spend any money. The Cowells down the street decided to put in a pool and asked if we...I...wanted it. You and I sat on it before, at one of their hosted summer parties, just to get out of the house. I've also ordered a marker to put over you and it should be ready in a day or two." Mary nodded approval.

"Good thing we had you cremated or the neighbors would have raised a big stink if I put your actual body back here." Mary started to laugh silently at Jack's comment.

"What?" Jack asked.

Mary's image continued to laugh, and she fell over in spasms that wracked her body as she was unable to contain herself.

"What did I say? Cremated? Neighbors?" She was silently pounded the grass, her image trying and failing to get a word out as she continued to guffaw.

"Stink? Oh..." Jack said as he finally got it. He laughed too then, staying on the bench but grasping the side for support. Always more serious than jovial, Jack laughed as he hadn't in a long time; Mary had always been the humorous one in the house. After a fashion he calmed down enough to continue "...and I don't think that wonderful perfume you used to wear would cover it up either no matter how much I splashed on your body. Oh Mary, I miss this." He sighed deeply and composed himself. "On to business then. I've brought a newspaper, I though maybe I could read some jobs off and get your opinion. Let's see..."

He opened the classified ads and looked under employment. "Library aid?" he asked. Mary shook her head. "No, I prefer to get out a bit" Jack agreed. "How about shoe salesman?" Mary looked disgusted. "Don't look at me like that, I was just reading it off. I know I'm not cut out for sales either. How about..."

From inside the house a ringing phone sounded. Mary vanished and Jack reluctantly got up to answer it. He was gone several minutes and then returned to the bench. Mary reappeared and waited for him to say who it was. Mary always was the one willing to wait.

"That was a DSI from downtown, someone I used to work with years ago. She wants to come over tomorrow to consult with me on a new unit they're forming. Don't worry, I won't be on the force; I've got my pension so I don't need to sign up again. But it might lead to something that will keep me busy. How about that?"

Mary smiled and nodded her approval. She then pointed at her wrist.

"Oh, I suppose it is getting late. Or are you trying to run me off because you've got someone else down there?" Jack teased.

Mary put fingers to lips in mock scandal, then laughed silently.

"I love you Mary. Goodnight" Jack said tenderly.

Mary blew him a kiss and vanished.

"Anything to keep in the police graces and maybe get a chance to work on that Hanson bloke" Jack thought as he went back into the house for the night.

The End

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 **A/N: A show that I enjoyed watching for most of its run, I liked the chemistry of the four founding characters; after several years they started replacing the original cast and when they wrote out the third such actor I finally bailed on the viewership. It happens.**

 **I also liked the devotion that the character Jack showed for his dead wife, a plot line that came into play years into the show. Talking to her after she had died was a way for him to work out cases much like someone readies for a debate by arguing both sides of the issue. Taken out of context by someone who didn't understand the character, though, it was just a bit loony.**


End file.
